Record-breaking hydroplane Bluebird K7 has returned to Coniston Water for the first time since Donald Campbell died during a water speed record attempt in 1967. The restored vessel took to the lake on Monday, marking the start of Bluebird K7 The Festival, a week-long event celebrating the iconic boat.
Historic Return to the Lake
Campbell was killed on January 4, 1967, when Bluebird K7 flipped into the air and disintegrated while he attempted to beat his own world water speed record of 276.33 mph. The wreckage, along with Campbell's body still in his race suit, was recovered in 2001 by engineer Bill Smith. Smith led a team of volunteers at the Bluebird Project in North Shields to restore the hydroplane over many years.
The restored Bluebird K7 is now housed at the Ruskin Museum in Coniston, Cumbria. On Monday, it returned to the water for the first time since the crash, greeted by applause and cheers from onlookers lining the lakeside. Among the crowd was Campbell's daughter, Gina Campbell.
Festival Events
The hydroplane was piloted by Australian David Warby, son of current world water speed record holder Ken Warby. The festival, which runs until Sunday, offers visitors the chance to see Bluebird K7 run daily, weather permitting. The event also commemorates the 70th anniversary of Campbell's first world water speed record on Coniston Water, achieved on September 19, 1956, when he reached 225.63 mph.
Donald Campbell, son of Sir Malcolm Campbell, broke eight world speed records on water and land in the 1950s and 1960s. He was attempting to reach 300 mph on Coniston Water when he died. In August 2018, the reconstructed craft, fitted with a new jet engine, reached speeds of about 150 mph during trials on Loch Fad in Scotland.
